BF.net Fan Community Top 25 Prospects - 2017 Pre-Season Edition

[FVBrewerFan]

I know this is reactionary based on a month and obviously not official, but if I had to update my top 10 Brewer prospects today based on what we've seen so far this season, I'd go

 

1) Brinson

2) Woodruff

3) Diaz

4) Hader

5) Ray

6) Phillips

7) Cordell

8) Lopez

9) Ortiz

10) Clark

 

Exciting thing is I think 6 of these guys at least could come in and be effective big leaguers right now.

 

Not too bad at all, if anything I would take Lopez out and put Gatewood at #10, if we're going by results so far this season. I still think Erceg will really come on, and one of the younger pitchers will be making a bid for that Top 10 list as well.

[82brewcrew82]

Updated BA top 100

 

87) Isan Diaz

74) Brandon Woodruff

73) Luis Ortiz

36) Corey Ray

31) Josh Hader

20) Lewis Brinson

[igor67]

If Gatewood was still at SS or maybe even 3rd do you think his start would have been enough to get him into BAs top 100?

[82brewcrew82]

No. It's been less than 150 at bats so far. I think given the lack of success up until this year, he is going to need to do this the entire year to get that recognition. I also highly doubt that BA is going to make any dramatic changes in their list until mid season and that should be the case. No need to overreact to what amounts to a small sample. I think this was a move to clear out folks that had graduated off the list.

[pacopete4]

Hmm.. I thought we might have a few higher or even more in the top 100.

[reillymcshane]

Oliver Drake has passed the 50 inning mark - thus making him ineligible for our next Prospect Poll.

[JohnBriggs12]

Biggest risers on my list through nearly 2 months: Burnes who has to be nearing the top 10, and Gatewood.

[LouisEly]

Biggest risers I think will be Feliciano (many, myself included, didn't have him in their top 25), Supak (same - many, myself included, didn't have him in), Burnes, and Gatewood.

 

Biggest drop will be Lara, Ray, and Clark (the latter two because they were so high up the list and have nowhere to go but down).

 

Barnes is 2 IP from graduating. We can only hope that the Brewers call up Suter and that he gets 21 IP soon. Real soon.

[adambr2]

Biggest risers I think will be Feliciano (many, myself included, didn't have him in their top 25), Supak (same - many, myself included, didn't have him in), Burnes, and Gatewood.

 

Biggest drop will be Lara, Ray, and Clark (the latter two because they were so high up the list and have nowhere to go but down).

 

Barnes is 2 IP from graduating. We can only hope that the Brewers call up Suter and that he gets 21 IP soon. Real soon.

 

21 IP yet? In that case, I expect to see him atop, ahem, at least 2-3 more consecutive ranking lists.

 

I will say I think relievers are perennially underrated on prospect lists, just don't think Suter is that guy. But Barnes was one of them. Like Taylor Williams for instance isn't even a pipeline top 30 for the Brewers which seems insane.

[FVBrewerFan]

Fun fact, Suter has more flights between Milwaukee and CS than innings pitched. I don't see Ray or even Clark dropping much, but Erceg will. Lots of guys doing just enough. Hope to see my "Suter" make it next poll, Dustin Houle.

[Greenleaf1]

I think Williams isn't on the list because of TJ, and you just don't know how he'll bounce back from that, plus his age was a concern. After his performance so far, if he can keep that up I'm sure there will be a lot of yeast to his rankings by the end of the season.

 

Hoping Burnes can put together a Woodruff-like year between A+ and AA this year and find a spot in the top 10 by 2018.

[Brewerswillsurprise]

http://reviewingthebrew.com/2017/05/24/milwaukee-brewers-mike-fiers-carlos-gomez-trade/

 

Saw this link on another site and found interesting

[reillymcshane]

Jacob Barnes is now over 50 IP in his career - so he is ineligible as a prospect going forward.

[clancyphile]

Will Gideon go from #4 on one guy's list to completely off his list by the time of the next vote? Silly ranking being proven silly

 

I was impressed by the numbers he posted in his first year of pro ball. He struggled this year, but in his 11 games prior to today, he's posted a 1.008 OPS, and he added a homer and double today before the rain delay.

 

He had a rough stretch from April 12 to May 19.

 

He may need to adjust to full-season ball, but I don't think his numbers last year were a fluke. I'm not sure when the next vote is, but he could still be in the top ten if he keeps hitting like he has been the last 12 games.

[FVBrewerFan]

Lots of fun so far this year to watch the minor league teams. They've hit their bad streaks (sucks to see Erceg struggling) but for every player underperforming right now it seems like there are 2 others who are doing great.

 

That AAA outfield in particular has been a real source of joy watching the box scores every day.

 

Gotta say, I don't see it that way. Another pretty disappointing year. Burnes and Supak are nice "surprises" but way too many top prospects under-performing. Ray, Diaz, Erceg, Clark not breaking out. Diplan hasn't been special repeating in A+. Nottingham and Coulter not bouncing back in a big way. Woodruff has been rocked a couple times, Hader hasn't been dominant by any measure.

 

Some of this has to do with pitching environment in CS, but overall not the results I was hoping for, especially for the top 10ish guys. But a few of those guys are coming on lately, long way to go so there's time for these guys to turn it on.

[Greenleaf1]

Lots of fun so far this year to watch the minor league teams. They've hit their bad streaks (sucks to see Erceg struggling) but for every player underperforming right now it seems like there are 2 others who are doing great.

 

That AAA outfield in particular has been a real source of joy watching the box scores every day.

 

Gotta say, I don't see it that way. Another pretty disappointing year. Burnes and Supak are nice "surprises" but way too many top prospects under-performing. Ray, Diaz, Erceg, Clark not breaking out. Diplan hasn't been special repeating in A+. Nottingham and Coulter not bouncing back in a big way. Woodruff has been rocked a couple times, Hader hasn't been dominant by any measure.

 

Some of this has to do with pitching environment in CS, but overall not the results I was hoping for, especially for the top 10ish guys. But a few of those guys are coming on lately, long way to go so there's time for these guys to turn it on.

 

I posted that over a month ago, there have obviously been sizeable shifts to some prospects' performances since then (most notably Diaz), but prospects are more about growth for me than full season performance. Prospects are still learning consistency and one bad run in an otherwise good season can make your numbers look a lot worse than they were.

 

Ray has actually had a nice season despite some early season (most likely injury-related) struggles, Erceg has started to look better lately and there were indications that he was feeling a little worn out after a busy spring, and after all it is his first full season in pro ball. These guys aren't in the majors yet, some patience is required and they aren't going to be lights out or 3-hit days every day, even with the top guys.

 

Woodruff hasn't been great lately but cherry picking a few bad starts to act like he's having a disappointing year seems pretty extreme.

 

Nottingham/Coulter both had rough starts but have quietly put up some good numbers since.

 

So even though some things have changed since I first made that statement, I'll stand by it 100%. Last year it seemed like everybody had just crappy years with not much redeeming about any of it. We clung to Woodruff/Diaz, and even tried to act like Hader's AA dominance wasn't masking huge control issues that were then exploited at AAA. This year, we have potentially an even bigger pitcher success story with Corbin Burnes, Supak is really intriguing, Gatewood has broken out in a big way and seems to be sustaining it quite well after slumping a little bit in May. That whole AAA outfield has been killing it to the point where 2 have already been called up and Cordell looks like he should be right behind them given the chance. Bullpen success stories like Tristan Archer and Wei Chung Wang are fun to watch, not to mention Garrett Cooper's absolute dominance at AAA after quietly putting up good stats for years. There will always be more failures than successes in the minors, but there are a lot of prospects looking good right now throughout our system.

[leitermab07]

For me,as the season has continued I have been more dissapointed than anything else.. That is mainly because I look for the top tier prospects to produce or get better throughout the year. Especially when in A+ ball or lower. Diaz, Diplan, Erceg, Clark fall into that category.

 

I have been impressed with some lower ranked prospects that will get a big bump in their ratings in the future. Those are: Feliciano, Gatewood, Harrison, Supak, and Burnes.

 

All in all I have said this team is loaded with depth, but lacks that elite player (s), and this year is showing that to be true again. Outside the AAA team, there are not alot of guys hitting .300 or having an OPS above .800

[Humans Need Water]

I'm not disappointed at all. Brinson, Phillips, Cordell are all performing to the level they should be as that's what they're capable of. Ray was coming off an injury and I'm sure to a certain extent that contributed to a slow start but since May 1 he's been plenty solid (same goes for Nottingham). Diaz started off good and has hit a huge slow streak. Clark isn't hitting for average but his ability to work the count and get on base has been outstanding (he's also 2.5yrs young for level). Erceg, like Clark, should have started at A and if they were performing very well after 6wks should have been up in A+. Erceg was excellent his first 4 games in A last year and the rest of his games left more to be desired. He's no doubt talented but that doesn't mean he needed to start in A+ this year. All these players are still developing and have things to work on. They're all talented enough to move levels throughout the year. Dubon isn't driving the ball like he did last year in AA but he's doing everything else pretty well. He's still physically maturing and developing. We aren't even halfway through the season. If some of these guys (Diaz, Eceg, Clark) have much better 2nd halves then it shows they're improving and making adjustments and can still move a level next year.

 

Diplan is struggling in A+ but he's also 20yrs old. I'm not surprised he's inconsistent. Peralta is a year older so where would Diplan be in 1yr from now? Hader and Woodruff shouldn't be expected to dominate in CS. Ortiz has had a few bad starts otherwise has been out of this world. Peralta is performing just like he did last year in A. Burnes should have been in the Top 15 to begin with as he's very talented and could have been a late 1st or 2nd rd pick. Ponce has improved greatly over last year and is pounding the zone. Kodi has greatly improved his BB rate and has been great as a reliever while just turning 21 I believe. Gatewood has made drastic mechanical improvements and is putting himself back on the map. Harrison has been solid this year and staying pretty healthy. Supak was excellent in A and having growing pains so far in A+ so it'll be interesting to see how he improves. Feliciano has exceeded all expectations in A.

 

Overall, the Brewers are in a good position and definitely a better position than they were this point last year.

[FVBrewerFan]

Overall, the Brewers are in a good position and definitely a better position than they were this point last year.

 

Agreed, but being better than last year was not my standard. They were billed as a top 5 system, some sources had them top 2 or 3. I mean, who cares what MY expectations are, I get that. Just saying, Top 10 has been really mediocre.

[82brewcrew82]

For me,as the season has continued I have been more dissapointed than anything else.. That is mainly because I look for the top tier prospects to produce or get better throughout the year. Especially when in A+ ball or lower. Diaz, Diplan, Erceg, Clark fall into that category.

 

I have been impressed with some lower ranked prospects that will get a big bump in their ratings in the future. Those are: Feliciano, Gatewood, Harrison, Supak, and Burnes.

 

All in all I have said this team is loaded with depth, but lacks that elite player (s), and this year is showing that to be true again. Outside the AAA team, there are not alot of guys hitting .300 or having an OPS above .800

 

I think this is the big issue when it comes to these debates about the system as a whole. There are no elite level prospects that are going to dominate with huge numbers all the way through the system. We have some guys that will be regulars, maybe even all stars, but those are the kinds of guys that have up and down development cycles. We don't have that guy that is going to OPS 850+ at every singe level. If that is what you are expecting, then you are going to be disappointed. If your expectations are more aligned with the actual talent level, then you are probably in the more optimistic camp.

[FVBrewerFan]

For me,as the season has continued I have been more dissapointed than anything else.. That is mainly because I look for the top tier prospects to produce or get better throughout the year. Especially when in A+ ball or lower. Diaz, Diplan, Erceg, Clark fall into that category.

 

I have been impressed with some lower ranked prospects that will get a big bump in their ratings in the future. Those are: Feliciano, Gatewood, Harrison, Supak, and Burnes.

 

All in all I have said this team is loaded with depth, but lacks that elite player (s), and this year is showing that to be true again. Outside the AAA team, there are not alot of guys hitting .300 or having an OPS above .800

 

I think this is the big issue when it comes to these debates about the system as a whole. There are no elite level prospects that are going to dominate with huge numbers all the way through the system. We have some guys that will be regulars, maybe even all stars, but those are the kinds of guys that have up and down development cycles. We don't have that guy that is going to OPS 850+ at every singe level. If that is what you are expecting, then you are going to be disappointed. If your expectations are more aligned with the actual talent level, then you are probably in the more optimistic camp.

 

But I don't think those expectations are unfair. Ray was a 1st round pick, regarded by many as the closest bat to MLB. Nottingham and Dubon put up big numbers before they came over to the Brewers system. Diaz put up those numbers last year. Clark, another first round pick isn't performing at that level. Erceg looked like he may be heading to that territory. Same thing for the pitchers. All the guys you were hoping could make that next big step really haven't.

 

But you're right, it looks like a lot of depth has been added- maybe even some high up-side depth in some cases. But what we don't seem to have are 3-4 real studs to get excited about.

[82brewcrew82]

Not many teams are going to have 3-4 studs in their system at one time. With more marginal talent, you are going to have to deal with a much less linear development than you will with a blue chip prospect. In other words, struggles and rough stretches will be more common. You really have to take the long view and see where things stand at the end of the year.

[leitermab07]

For me,as the season has continued I have been more dissapointed than anything else.. That is mainly because I look for the top tier prospects to produce or get better throughout the year. Especially when in A+ ball or lower. Diaz, Diplan, Erceg, Clark fall into that category.

 

I have been impressed with some lower ranked prospects that will get a big bump in their ratings in the future. Those are: Feliciano, Gatewood, Harrison, Supak, and Burnes.

 

All in all I have said this team is loaded with depth, but lacks that elite player (s), and this year is showing that to be true again. Outside the AAA team, there are not alot of guys hitting .300 or having an OPS above .800

 

I think this is the big issue when it comes to these debates about the system as a whole. There are no elite level prospects that are going to dominate with huge numbers all the way through the system. We have some guys that will be regulars, maybe even all stars, but those are the kinds of guys that have up and down development cycles. We don't have that guy that is going to OPS 850+ at every singe level. If that is what you are expecting, then you are going to be disappointed. If your expectations are more aligned with the actual talent level, then you are probably in the more optimistic camp.

 

 

Are you saying there are none, or are you saying we have none in our system? If you are saying the latter I agree. To say there are no elite level prospects who put up around .300 ba and around .850 Ops throughout all minor league systems is just wrong. Robles, Moncada, Rosario, Jimenez, Devers, Mejia, Acuna just to name a few that are top 100 prospects right now that have put up those numbers on all levels.. there are plenty of those examples of guys in the MLB too(look at Keiths Law of Top players under 26 in the MLB, they all raked throughout all of MLB). That is what makes them thought of being the elites of the minor league prospects and elites of MILB)... I agree its not all stats, but stats do tell you some info and for guys like Erceg and Diaz I expected at least their OPS to be much better.. I was hoping one or a couple guys could elevate themselves into the belief of scouts that they are the other elite prospects, but that hasn't happened. Hence why I am a little unimpressed with the minors so far, but there is another half of the season left. Def will be looking for improvements from the Carolina squad.

[FVBrewerFan]

Not many teams are going to have 3-4 studs in their system at one time. With more marginal talent, you are going to have to deal with a much less linear development than you will with a blue chip prospect. In other words, struggles and rough stretches will be more common. You really have to take the long view and see where things stand at the end of the year.

 

No, but the top systems do and the Brewers were supposed to be one of them. Even back the system wasn't great they had Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Yo, Braun at the same time.

 

But yea, nothing we can do about that but wait and hope some of these guys do develop into elite players.

[leitermab07]

Not many teams are going to have 3-4 studs in their system at one time. With more marginal talent, you are going to have to deal with a much less linear development than you will with a blue chip prospect. In other words, struggles and rough stretches will be more common. You really have to take the long view and see where things stand at the end of the year.

 

The best minor league systems do though.. The Dodgers the last 2 years have produced some ridiculous elite level talent that have been brought to the majors (Seager, Bellinger, Urias) The Nationals have had a couple (Turner, Devers, AND the elite pitchers they traded away). The Cubs are self Explanatory. The Astros as well. The Braves have a couple elite pitchers it looks like as well as just having Dansby called up and waiting on Albies. I was hoping at least one player could make that jump this year and None have. Gatewood has maybe made the jump to get close to being in the top 100, but no player has jumped into the elite discussion. That is why I have been disappointed so far.